1. Happy February!! Pancakes, anyone?

We’re flippin’ out over Gwen van Knippenberg’s charming art. Known for their beautiful colors and minute detail, Gwen’s feel-good paintings capture the cozy comforts of home and family life, the joys of nature and gardening, and the sheer enchantment of simple things.

Based in the Netherlands, Gwen recently became a full-time artist after spending many years at home raising her four children. I love studying the people in her pictures and imagining their stories. She depicts children with a sweetness and warmth that’s so life affirming.

Naturally my favorites are the kitchen scenes, showing families cooking, baking, or eating together. Can’t you just imagine the heavenly aromas of the delicious homemade treats they’re making?

Look at the hug yourself adorableness of this baby and teddy in a washtub! And how good those clothes hanging on the line must smell after drying in the fresh air!

To purchase fine art prints, postcards, greeting cards, posters and calendars, visit Gwen’s Etsy Shop, and don’t miss her Instagram, where she features cool animated art reels with background music and sound effects (Eric Clapton, Nat King Cole, John Denver, anyone?). Magical!

She also sells a lovely perpetual birthday calendar:

Why not catch a falling star?

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2. New picture book alert!! Here’s a new title by one of our favorite author-poets, Patricia Toht, coming out February 13: Taxi, Go!, illustrated by Maria Karipidou (Candlewick, 2024).

With energy and exuberance, the author of Pick a Pine Tree and the illustrator of Angry Cookie pair up for a bustling day in the life of a big-city taxicab. 

Today will be a busy day for Taxi! There are plenty of passengers to pick up, and they all need a ride—to a football game, a play, a business meeting, the airport, and more. Whizzing left, right, and through traffic, Taxi has to STOP for red lights and emergency vehicles. But after every stop, stop, stop, it’s Taxi . . . go, go, GO! Humming with musical rhyme and clever sound play, this vibrant take on a classic read-aloud theme radiates adventure and good fun. Brightly illustrated spreads of a happy urban world teem with details that vehicle-loving tots will pore over as they follow winsome Taxi through the work day and throughout the town until it’s time for bed.

Just look at that Taxi — so cute and perky! Since Patricia is a master of catchy rhymes, I’m sure this one is a joy to read aloud. The book has earned high praise from Kirkus, who said:

Young transportation enthusiasts will enjoy this energetic ride and will slip into sleep when the taxi slows down . . . this bright and breezy selection is sure to be enjoyed, savored, and hailed by the very young.

Looking forward to reading it. 🙂

Congratulations, Patricia and Maria!

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3. Bawk, Bawk! If you’re looking for a little fun with fowl, check out Rebekah Leigh Marshall’s chicken art. 🙂

Based in Somerset, England, Rebekah studied art in college, and first started out doing animal portraits. After her family moved to the country they acquired some chickens and she’s never looked back.

She enjoys drawing and painting all different breeds, and her lovely designs can be purchased as prints, greeting cards, adult and children’s clothing, tote bags, and home goods such as enamel mugs, tea towels and cushion covers. All her products are made in the UK using recycled or organic materials.

My favorite design — and what led me to discover the rest of Rebekah’s art — is her “Chicken Alphabet” print. So fabulous!

And how great is this “Rainbow Egg Layers” tote?

For more, visit Rebekah’s Official Website, Etsy Shop, Instagram, and Facebook Page. Eggstraordinary!

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4. Will you be mine? Yes, Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it, and we’ve been admiring these sweet fabric sachet hearts made by Suzanne a.k.a. Parish Farm Girl.

Based in St. Francisville, Louisiana, Suzanne’s a couturier and longtime collector of antique textiles from around the world. She crafts them into beautiful, functional items that can be used in everyday life — sachets, storage bags, pin cushions, etc.

These sachet hearts were made from a 1930’s hand sewn quilt:

and these from a Jacobean crewel embroidery piece:

All are stuffed with French lavender from Provence and are approximately 4.5″ to 5″ wide.

Visit Parish Farm Girl for more sachets and to see Suzanne’s other items.

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5. Another new picture book alert: Just released last month is Finding Home: Words from Kids Seeking Sanctuary by Gwen Agna and Shelley Rotner, with photographs by Shelley Rotner (Clarion Books, 2024):

In this photographic picture book, the authors record and transcribe the words of displaced children, raising up their voices—who they are, where they came from, and the many different reasons that they had to leave their home countries.

“My parents told me we had to leave to stay safe. I was scared.”

“We left in a hurry. We could hardly bring anything. I could only take what fit in my backpack.”

“One day there was everyone and the next day there was almost no one. We had to go too.”

This book celebrates the resilience, hope, and joy of children and their families who are seeking asylum. Stunning photographs capture children doing everyday things like playing on the playground, going to school, and meeting new friends alongside their stories of having to leave to their home countries in order to stay safe. The authors transcribed and photographed children from around the world to share their experiences on moving to a new place under extremely difficult circumstances as a way to raise up their voices and humanize people seeking asylum.

Countries include Afghanistan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Bosnia, Tibet, Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Mexico, Syria, Nigeria, Myanmar, and Ukraine. The authors have included backmatter with further information for kids, parents, and educators.

Immigration is certainly a timely subject and this book looks to be a good introduction for younger children about what they are likely hearing on the news.

So far, Finding Home has received glowing reviews. Booklist said, “This thought-provoking, affecting volume aims to foster understanding and ‘hope for a world where everyone is welcome,’” while School Library Journal said, “The book’s use of speech bubbles in the images makes it feel as though the children in the photographs are directly communicating with readers. This approach adds a personal touch to the stories, allowing readers to empathize with the challenges these children face.” Finding Home is also a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

We’ve previously featured Shelley’s other books at Alphabet Soup, including Yummy!: Good Food Makes Me Strong (with Sheila M. Kelly), and look forward to enjoying another of her photographic gems. 🙂

Congratulations, Shelley and Gwen!

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6. Ceramics Fix: Hola, Hola, Hola!! Brighten up your winter days with Vera Grizutti’s colorful plates, tiles, mugs, and bowls.

Based in Argentina and trading under the name “En La Nube,” Vera decorates her pieces with fun patterns and joyful still life illustrations (she seems to love the color orange). 🙂

Suddenly the everyday — lamps, tables, chairs, bottles, cars, fruit — spring to life, emanating positive energy and making you long to escape to a sunny clime to while away the hours.

Love her use of checks, stripes, and dots, and how CUTE are these canisters? One of each, please.

See more of Vera’s work at her Official Website and Instagram.

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7. Hungry? My mouth is watering!! Check out this new anthology of food-related literature just published this past October: Bedside Companion for Food Lovers: An Anthology of Food Delights for Every Night of the Year edited by Jane McMorland Hunter (Batsford, 2023).

A mouthwatering anthology of food in literature, encompassing fiction and non-fiction, prose and poetry, and even a smattering of recipes, with one piquant extract for every night of the year.

This absorbing book is a literary feast for every food lover—and who isn’t?

You’ll discover a wealth of foodie extracts from around the world and throughout the centuries, from marchpane and posset in Shakespeare to Nigella Lawson on how much cheese to buy for a dinner party. It includes literary greats like Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Maya Angelou; stellar food writers such as Elizabeth David, Madhur Jaffrey, and Anthony Bourdain; and some intriguing curiosities such as the surreal recipes in 1932’s Futurist Cookbook. And, of course, Mrs. Beeton makes an appearance. Also on the menu are:

• Delicious baked apples in Jane Austen’s Emma
• Ingenious wartime solutions in MFK Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf
• The joys of Caribbean cooking in Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners
• Lashings of ginger beer for Enid Blyton’s Famous Five

and much, much more. Keep this delectable book by your bedside and savor a whole world of delicious food writing every night of the year—and it also makes the perfect gift for the foodie in your life!

I’m sold! This one has my name written all over it. Good thing I received some gift cards for Christmas. 🙂 Reading about food every night is also calorie free . . .

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8. Poetry, Poetry, We Must Have Poetry: Speaking of anthologies, look what just came out January 30: Poemhood: Our Black Revival: History, Folklore and the Black Experience, edited by Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin (HarperTeen, 2024):

Starring thirty-seven poets, with contributions from acclaimed authors, including Kwame Alexander, Ibi Zoboi, and Nikki Giovanni, this breathtaking Black YA poetry anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin celebrates Black poetry, folklore, and culture.

Come, claim your wings.

Lift your life above the earth,

return to the land of your father’s birth.

What exactly is it to be Black in America?

Well, for some, it’s learning how to morph the hatred placed by others into love for oneself; for others, it’s unearthing the strength it takes to continue to hold one’s swagger when multitudinous factors work to make Black lives crumble. For some, it’s gathering around the kitchen table as Grandma tells the story of Anansi the spider, while for others it’s grinning from ear to ear while eating auntie’s spectacular 7Up cake.

Black experiences and traditions are complex, striking, and vast—they stretch longer than the Nile and are four times as deep—and carry more than just unimaginable pain—there is also joy.

Featuring an all-star group of thirty-seven powerful poetic voices, including such luminaries as Kwame Alexander, James Baldwin, Ibi Zoboi, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, and Gwendolyn Brooks, this riveting anthology depicts the diversity of the Black experience by fostering a conversation about race, faith, heritage, and resilience between fresh poets and the literary ancestors that came before them.

Edited by Taylor Byas, Erica Martin, and Coretta Scott King New Talent Award winner Amber McBride, Poemhood will simultaneously highlight the duality and nuance at the crux of so many Black experiences with poetry being the psalm constantly playing.

I’ve got this one on hold at the library and can’t wait to dig in — it’s a great choice for Black History Month. 🙂

Poemhood is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and has received **starred reviews** from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, who said, “This deep and complex assemblage of Black poetry culminates in a joyful, painful, and emotionally rich experience.” 

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9. You win some, you dim sum: Lunar New Year falls on Saturday, February 10, and while many will celebrate with red envelopes, family reunions and fireworks, all I can think about is dim sum!!

Mmmmm, yes, please!!

A cool way to embody the dim sum love is to wear it! Check out these dim sum t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies by Kittoon Studio of NY. The unisex t-shirts are available in a variety of colors (solid shirts are 100% cotton, while heather colors are half cotton, half polyester). Best of all, every t-shirt purchase is meaningful and supports the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Don’t need a new t-shirt or hoodie? What about this beautiful tea towel by RachelleWDesigns? Love the rich colors and detail!!

And of course we mustn’t forget the munchkins. Treat them to a cute felt play set created by Cara Nguyen of YumChaSF. Each Combo Set includes:

8pcs Dim Sum/Yum Cha
– 2 Ha Gow
– 2 Siu Mai
– 2 Spinach Dumpling 
– 2 Xiao Long Bao 
– 1 six-inch bamboo steamer bottom (optional)
– 1 six-inch bamboo lid (optional)

Basil and Cornelius definitely approve!!

Happy New Year! (The most common way to say it in Cantonese is san nin faai lok, and in Mandarin Chinese, xīn nián kuài lè.) The more familiar “Gung Hei Fat Choi” is Cantonese for “Wishing you great happiness and prosperity.” May the Year of the Dragon bring you all good things!

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Our first swoon tune of 2024 is one of my favorite Bacharach and David songs, “A House is Not a Home.” Written in 1964 for the movie of the same name, it was first recorded separately by Dionne Warwick and Brook Benton with modest success.

The song went on to achieve greater renown as it was covered by many other artists through the years, most notably by Luther Vandross on his 1981 debut album “Never Too Much.”

Clocking in at 7 minutes, Vandross’s version was also released as a single, became an R&B hit, and is considered one of his signature tunes.

Vandross’s epic performance at the 1988 NAACP Image Awards brought Warwick to tears. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone embody a song more deeply, heart and soul, than he does here. His vocal mastery is simply off the scale. In 2009, Essence magazine included Vandross’s version of the song in their list of the “25 Best Slow Jams of All Time”. It kills me every time.

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HAPPY TUESDAY

HAPPY WEEK

WATCH OUT FOR CUPID’S ARROWS

DRINK COCOA

READ GOOD BOOKS

PAY ATTENTION

WASH BEHIND YOUR EARS

EAT DIM SUM

SMILE MORE

CHANNEL THE BLUE (IT’S AN ELECTION YEAR)

BE TRUE

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**Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.